1980 Venus Project

[hydroguy21]

Have 1980 hydrostream venus,Its all new to me. every boat I ever owned was an i\o or a single or double screw .
This is the first out board,2002 merc 125.Most would say underpowered but this is what I have to work with.Anyone have a guess of about expected speed with this combo?Keep in mind bone stock 125.Should I mount the motor on a jack plate?:confused: And how can I get a little more out of the 125,are there any carb\intake,reeds or anything I can do to get a little nore out of it ?Ive done a lot of motor work but its all been automotive or motorcycle,Dont know mutch about 2-cycle.

[Cp]

I'll go with 47.

[Boz]

I'd say more like 43-44?

[ProComp]

Faster then Boz's

[vnemous]

Ray up in Long Island has a venus. It screams. Maybe hell post. Theres pics of his boat in the Jerry Fest photo link.

[hydroguy21]

thanks Saw Rays boat for the first time w\my son the suday of jerry fest.That ride looks good.

[Boz]

You want to bend the ear of Jason Huber; he knows piles about this hull and had the fastest Venus around. I'm talking 104 mph.

I'm running 85'ish with no set up and a prop that robs me of 1000-1200 rpm; I'm also a 1/4" too low. I'd guess I'd be running 95'ish once I get it figured out.

[gotboostedvr6]

i would think it would touch 55 or so no? is it a v bottom or is it tunnel?

[hydroguy21]

its a tunnel.

[Jason Huber]

IMHO, I'd think touching 50mph might be within reason. Its fairly efficient, but a heavy hull to get motivated, and in order to optimize with minimal power, set-up will be critical. Dont' waste your money on a nosecone for the lower unit. Not sure that any jack-plate/set back would be needed - other than to get the motor height up a little.
Props? If it would pull a 23 or 24p Trophy or 3 blade chopper, you might get it to pop-up on the pad, then you'll be in business! :cool: The Venus is a very cool boat! Unique, rare, and better in big water than any other Stream. Good luck, welcome to the board, and have fun! ;)

[RONNIE]

hey hydroguy how about some pics and the s&f xmas party is 2morrow

[hydroguy21]

Sorry I Didnt Make It Had My 2yr Old God Child Over.how Was It?

[RONNIE]

you missed a great time how about the super boat party??

[R.I.P.]

Im looking at the 20' venus also .It was talked about on this forum before but the guy never bought it. This boat is a 1989 with merc 200. is that a 2.4? Im the same way only built bikes and cars have a few model gas boats but thats all. boated for a long time never opened a motor only fixed electrical stuff. what prop should this boat use 28 26 mazco? please help.

[Jason Huber]

A nice running, stock 2.4 "fishin' motor" should push a Venus into the 80ish mph range w/the 28, but will be more fun to drive with the 26 IMHO. My old Venus really liked the Mazco RE3 and so does my Ally. Its a very high quality, precision built wheel - great for all-around use! :cool:

[Boz]

Any chance you'd want to sell me a magic prop for my Venus? I'll even be in your yard in about a month; don't forget!!!

Regarding that Cantebury race, I'm looking after my 11 year old niece while my brother race directs so I will be taking er' easy.

[Jason Huber]

No probs buddy - I cant' drink like I used to anyway... :o
Props; I've only got 3 props left: My 26 alley-cut chopper that was the world beater on my Mirage, have not run on the GS yet. A 26 Mazco RE and a tuned-up 28 chopper that I'll part with if I can find either a 28 RE, or same pitch Spinelli to replace it with. I really like Mazco props! ;)

[Boz]

Once Blair is done for the day, Uncle can tip a few at night.

I have your cell. I'm leaving at noon on that Friday after my exam and am taking the Monday as well.

Sorry folks- back to regular programming.

Since this is a Venus thread, maybe you can bring those keys for that storage locker in the front of my Venus.

[Jason Huber]

10-4! :) Got those 2 bottles of teak oil, and a roll of that tape that I used in the mid trim molding. Sorry for the hijack... :o :D

[Boz]

Here is the 104 mph propellant on the Venus.....:cool:

[Boz]

Same boat less 20 mph.

Cool boat with a large cuddy, great ride, and a unique "coolness" about it.:cool:

[R.I.P.]

What type of work should I do to the stock motor . Its a saltwater 200 merc. I was reading about the bolsin reed valves and exhaust port. I belive ,if you put in one end you should do the same on the other. what hp results could I do to get 40hp more out of a 200. do I need to go all the way to mill the heads or can I get it with the normal high tune fuel / exhaust way. any ideas of set up where can i look? Who can tell me what co. is the best for soup ups
Added the pics It is allready set up looking for a little more . hungry.

[Jason Huber]

Job 1: Do a compression test. IMHO; If its a tight motor, no issues, and every hole falls within parameter - DON"T MESS WITH IT! :) I'd look at optimizing your currant set up first, by:

A) Modding the gearcase if it doesnt' already have low water pickups and a nose cone - like the one in Collin's pic of the red boat when I still had the gray motor on the back of it. That particular lower unit was worked by Titus Grissom (great creds -do a search out here) and works on my Ally as well as it did on the Venus!

B) Get a jack plate. The Venus likes setback, but remember that the further back you go, the more HP is required to push that big barge. The real advantage is the ability to raise the motor - thus taking advantage of your newly coned lower unit! ;)

C) If a motor build is emminant, there is a TON of information out here, and at least as many "subject matter experts" who are always willing to share. In both cases you'll also find some good and some bad.

The bottom line on modding ANY Merc V6 is pretty simple really; The more you do to it, the more you shorten its life expectancy! At the end of the day for many of us, sometimes its hard to remember the days when there was absolutely nothing wrong with stock motors and 80ish mph boats that at-best didnt' need to be re-ringed every 40 hours, and at worst would saw itself in half, ruining that ported work of art that used to be a beautiful powerhead - and flushing $6-7g's of your hard earned loot down the crap-hole! :D

[Boz]

Jason; think 9" of set back would work better than the 6" I'm running now?

[Jason Huber]

Dude, you better get a hold of Balzy on that one! :eek: ;) His HST has more setback than I've seen on any other Hydrostream (something like 16-18"?!). Apparently this works for him because his boat really hauls, but I've also never anything that breaks skegs like his does either... LOL! :D (lever effect??)

[R.I.P.]

want to sell the 26 prop.how much.

[Jason Huber]

Sorry man, my 26 RE is a keeper - best all-around wheel I own. They're around though, out here & on Ebay from time to time.;)
Looks like your offshore already has a nice gearcase on it. I cant' really see from the pic if there is a jackplate (?). That might be a good next step. Cutting the heads (rationally) will net some HP for sure. If you decide to go deeper, some mild block porting will wake things up and work well with tighter heads.
That Offshore is an EFI motor isnt it?

[R.I.P.]

Yes ,its an efi .here are some pics it has a manual jack plate not sure size but has low water pic up . It has telflex stearing a hot foot nice paint job .
On the transom they drilled holes and sent rods to reinforce it . Dont I have to secure a plate on both sides of the hull and not just the transom?

[hydroguy21]

I need to get a motor like that.Looks good.How far of a set back does that bracket giv you?:cool:

[Riverman]

Don't add setback to a bad transom. It will just compound the problem of a weak transom..

[R.I.P.]

Nothing wrong with the apearance of transom ,just has plates and rods just like the one that does 104mph up above. Im going to guess the set back at 6".

[ccrick]

I was eyeballin that venus and those rods through the transom scared me. I e-mailed the dealer and they never got back with me. It's not like I can just go look at it because I live in Michigan. It may be fine? Still a nice boat and still keeping my eyes out for one though.
Rick.

[Jason Huber]

On the transom they drilled holes and sent rods to reinforce it . Dont I have to secure a plate on both sides of the hull and not just the transom?

YES!!! Guess I did'nt see that on those pics. :o Setback does look like a 6" to me too. Your gearcase should be good-to-go w/the cone and low pickups. Nice looking re-rig in that boat also! Upgraded frt seats, stainless rails (no teak), and you cant' go wrong with that Sea Star set-up! :cool:

Not sure which one, but a (EFI) box upgrade might be a good next-step, and would be a must have if you do decide to go with tighter heads. Depending on how much compression is left in that Offshore, that boat should touch 80mph as-is. The other option of coarse would be to pull the powerhead down and start messaging that block a little - RE; cut the exhaust chest, some clean-up port work, check the crank, fresh pistons, a set of good rods, and re-bearing. I'm also not sure if the early Offshores had a trick center section or not, but you could research that with the powerhead off... ;)

[hydroguy21]

getting back to me, with 2002 125 merc should I go with any jack plate?or set back?on the venus.I also have a 150 evenrude v6 but that motor has a lot more hours on it.

[David]

I would not waste time trying to make a 125 powered Venus run fast. But if you insist, use a lot of setback, 12 to start. Heavy boat, weak engine. A plate will also help you vary engine height.

[hydroguy21]

Dave,I dont care about the speed so,want to set up this stream to get my kids out for a ride,up on some ski,or tubing.just trying to optimize what i have to work with.any and all help is greatley accepted.

[David]

Your boat should work fine for taking the kids on toys and cruising around with the 125 and a small prop. It could be a lot of fun.

Optimizing what you have makes sense, so long as it doesn't consume money that could go into more power. A jackplate will work with the next motor, so that's good.

[hydroguy21]

thanks Dave,any positive words are always accepted.

[hydroguy21]

But David I forgot to ask, what is a small prop? I was told that the 125 is all tork and no revs.Do you have an idea what a good all around prop to pull skis and cruse would be? I am also looking into a hydrolic jack plate that was used. the guy who has it said he put power to it with no weight load and it seemed to cock,Im wondering if thats normal or could it be because there was no weight on it??:confused:

[David]

I'd be suspicious of a jackplate that didn't work straight with no load. It might just bind with a few hundred pounds on it.

What is low pitch? It depends My friend has a 115 that will pull me out on a slalom ski better than my 150. Of course he is prop'd to go about 50, and I'm prop'd to go low 70's.

I'd guess a 22 for you, but it's a guess. The good part is that you can buy and sell props easily, so even if you can't borrow any from friends, you can 'rent' props easily.

20-24 Lasers are cheap. I'd start there. You have the small hub, so I don't think you can run a Tempest. Maybe a hi five would be good.

[R.I.P.]

That prop on my 2.5 is only a 21.... and the motor is a 1987 ouch..
can i put a newer block on it like a 1993 or so

[Capt.Insane-o]

22 trophy and a 20p hi five for ski duty.